Miriam Black is back and she is as terrible and vile as ever. The foul mouthed, bitter, American white trash has returned, and this time she’s on a mission of sorts. Mockingbird is the sequel to Blackbirds, and whereas the first book was a road movie with a smattering of supernatural terror and an exploration of America’s dark urges, the sequel is more a murder-mystery thriller mixed in with plenty of horror and gore. It’s not for the squeamish, especially when you consider the rather unique gift of the central character. When she touches a person for the first time, she gets a perfect vision of how that person dies. This has pretty much ruined Miriam’s life, especially when it seems that only the most dangerous and drastic of measures have a chance at altering someone’s fate. It doesn’t stop her from trying though.

Mockingbird is Chuck Wendig at his most cunning, most vile and most bombastic. He has an acrobatic skill with the English language and he warps and distorts meaning to serve his own twisted ends. Wendig has tapped into the vein of modern American mythology, ancient ideas and stories battered into modern relevance through an acerbic wit and a sharp look at what the words “American Mythology” actually mean.

This book is a treat for the horror fan, filled with cinematic moments and genuine spookiness, though some of the more popcorn munching moments are also the weakest; there’s only so much desperate struggle a narrative can hold before a tale crosses the line from thrilling to predictable. Mockingbird never disappoints however, and throws enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing almost all the way through. Fans of American Gothic and The Lost Room will find themselves on familiar ground and will lap this up.